Orange Pound Cake

Not so long ago, I visited my parents and my mom gave me a bunch of fruits because she knows that I hardly ever buy any to eat.  I ended up eating the strawberries which were ripe and sweet, but I had a tougher time eating the oranges because they weren't sweet enough to my liking.  I thought I would use it to make some sort of dessert instead.  I usually am not a fan of orange flavoured desserts, mostly because they are mixed in with chocolate and I'm not crazy for that combination.  I decided to give this pound cake a try.  I was almost hesitant to put that much orange zest into the batter but it's worth it; it gives it a good flavour without all that bitterness (try getting a good rasp to avoid adding the bitter white pith).

This ended up being of the best pound cake I've ever tried!  The orange flavour adds a nice floral note and the glaze gets soaked up by the cake to make it sweet and moist.  It was so delicious that I decided to make it again within the same week at my parent's house in order to share it with them.  My family really liked it and are now asking for the recipe!

At least these lovely oranges didn't go to waste!

Lining the pan with parchment paper allows for easy removal of the cake once it is baked.

I decided to add some orange liqueur to my recipe.  Yum!

I poked the cake with a wooden skewer rather than a toothpick that way the glaze could really soak into the cake.

Orange Pound Cake
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter for greasing the pan (I used a baking spray)
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons + pinch salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest (from 2 large or 4 medium navel oranges)
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, split into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
2 tablespoons of orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
5 oz. (1 1/4 cups) confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Set the rack in the center of the oven.  Grease a 9x5-inch loaf with the extra butter, line the pan with parchment, then butter the parchment paper.  Mix the flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl.  Cream the butter and sugar together in the mixing bowl or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium high until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Beat the eggs in one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and orange zest.  Don't worry if the batter looks curdled, it's fine.  With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour, then add half of 3/4 cup of orange juice, then add another third of the flour, then the rest of the 3/4 cup of orange juice and 1 tablespoon of orange liqueur, finish with the remaining third of the flour.  Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.  Bake 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the sides and turn the cake out onto the rack. Remove the parchment and set the cake upright on the rack.  Place the rack over a rimmed baking sheet.  Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of orange liqueur, the confectioners' sugar and a pinch of salt.  Whisk until it is smooth.  Use a wooden skewer to poke holdes (about 3/4-inch intervals) in the top of the cake, making sure not to exceed 3/4 of the cake depth.  Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the cake until it's all used.  Let the cake cool completely (about 2 hours) and serve.

NB: I opted to add orange liqueur to the cake and glaze but it can be omitted just like in the original version.
Source: slightly adapted from Fine Cooking via Use Real Butter